Women aged 18-30 most vulnerable to cyber-crime

Women aged between 18 and 30 years constitute the highest percentage of cyber crime victims at 73.71 percent, according to a recent survey conducted by Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation.

A roundtable was organised by the foundation yesterday at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital to share the findings of a survey, conducted on 133 victims of cyber crime incidents.

About 51.13 percent of the victims were women and 48.87 percent were men, said Kazi Mustafiz, convener of the foundation.

Around 54 percent victims of cyber crime are not satisfied with the response of law enforcers after reporting the incidents, the survey has found.

It also found that 39 percent of the victims did not report the cases of cyber crime to law enforcement agencies. Some 23 percent think they would be harassed instead of getting justice, while 25 percent thinks that it would not help them reporting the incidents to law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of the victims do not know how to seek help in cases of cyber crime. Other reasons not to report the incidents include safeguarding social status and the accused being influential.

Victims of cyber crime think that instant punishment of the criminals, increasing implementation of law and raising awareness among the citizens will help control cyber crime.

The cyber crime incidents which the victims mostly faced are -- spreading false information using fake accounts, fabrication of picture online, threats online, account hacking in social media and mobile banking, pornographic videos and so on.

“The election year is coming up. The competition would be more in social media than on field. We should double-check the information on social media so that no one can spread any fabricated information,” Rasheda Rawnak Khan, an assistant professor of anthropology department at Dhaka University, told the roundtable.

Among the reported cyber crimes, 27.07 percent incidents are about spreading false information using fake accounts. Of such victims, 14.27 percent are women while 12.78 percent are men.

Cyber criminals often remain untraced because law enforcement agencies cannot track them, as they use unlicensed internet protocol services.

Moin Uddin Ahmed, joint secretary general of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh, said the government should take action against unauthorised internet service providers.

Abul Mansur Mohammad Sharfuddin, joint secretary of ICT ministry, said cyber crime awareness should come from the family first, from an early age.

He added that the government initiated a cyber awareness programme in 40 schools in rural areas last year. This year, they are planning to do it in 100 schools.

The speakers said there is no alternative to creating awareness about cyber crime.

“The crimes in physical world are old. But the crimes in virtual world are ever-changing. So we have to take the challenge to fight cyber crime in Digital Bangladesh,” AKM Nazrul Haque, an adviser to the foundation, said while moderating the programme.